American Club of Lisbon’s Post

The British Museum's newly appointed director, Nicholas Cullinan, defending the institution’s decision to accept a £50m donation from bp has me in a bind. This bind goes beyond financial necessity—cultural institutions are faced with a profound responsibility of balancing much needed funding with ethical considerations of the source of the money. “I think the debate has changed, but what hasn’t changed are the two criteria against which you weigh up donations and sponsorship,” he told the The Times. “One is: was the money legally acquired? The other is: will accepting it cause us reputational damage? I think you have to have very good, clear reasons for turning down money that would help to keep the British Museum free to the public.” Ok, but what about the broader consequences? BP’s environmental track record has left deep scars and while Cullinan believes that accepting this donation doesn’t tarnish the museum’s reputation, what message is it sending? I feel that it’s endorsing the actions of a company whose legacy contradicts the values of stewardship and preservation the museum claims to uphold. Not trying to be on a high horse, after my studies I have some insight into how difficult it is to wrangle funding for cultural institutions and balancing that with integrity, but this really made me squirm. I know it’s £50m and the museum is on the cusp of a huge renovation but it’s still BP. It’s worth noting that one of the trustees had to declare a conflict of interest and abstained from voting (because BP is a client of his investment banking firm lol). Two other trustees—one, the vice-chair of BlackRock (one of the top shareholders in BP) and the other, a chair of Schroders (which holds investments in BP)—pointed out their interests but claimed that “it would not constitute a conflict of interest.” I don’t know, maybe that's enough said. Xoxo Almost Art Girl 🔗 Piece by Richard Morrison on The Times https://bit.ly/4gt09r1 📸 The British Museum's great court. Photo by Nicolas Lysandrou #culturalheritage #culturalfunding #britishmuseum #sustainability

Museums are packed with incredible stories! From the history of a piece of art …to your visitor’s experience. Your museum should be capitalizing on its deep reservoir of stories to drive excitement and donations. Check out these 5 fun video story ideas you can implement with footage you already have…or can easily get! 1. A “Making Of” Video told from the perspective of the artist! 2. A highlights video on a featured exhibit or work of art. 3. For children’s museums… share a video of kids describing what they learned, and the fun they had at your museum! 4. Does your museum have something cool in the works? Share your exciting new plans and the need for your support. 5. The walls of a museum are inherently rich. Share with people the parts they don’t see with a tour video showcasing all of the cool nooks, crannies and points of interest in your museum. #nonprofit #museums #associations #videostorytelling #videostorytellingformuseums #videostorytellingfornonprofits

Museums are packed with incredible stories! From the history of a piece of art …to your visitor’s experience. Your museum should be capitalizing on its deep reservoir of stories to drive excitement and donations. Check out these 5 fun video story ideas you can implement with footage you already have…or can easily get! 1.A “Making Of” Video told from the perspective of the artist! 2. A highlights video on a featured exhibit or work of art. 3. For children’s museums… share a video of kids describing what they learned and the fun they had at your museum! 4. Does your museum have something cool in the works? Share your exciting new plans and the need for your support. 5. The walls of a museum are inherently rich. Share with people the parts they don’t see with tour video showcasing all of the cool nooks, crannies and points of interest in your museum. #nonprofit #museums #associations #videostorytelling #videostorytellingformuseums #videostorytellingfornonprofits

🎨 CALL FOR ARTISTS! Showcase and Sell your Artwork to make an Impact! ✨ Exhibition Themes: Safety, Community, Care, Connection, Protection 🖌️ Open to Canadian Artists, Any Traditional & Digital Visual Mediums 📅 Deadline for submissions: June 30th, 2024, By Midnight 🔗 Submission form: www.tinyurl.com/3a5xsa3w ✨40% of Sale to Artist, 60% to Charity ✨5% Royalties on Secondary Sales ✨Charitable Tax Receipt for Cash Contribution ✨No Entry Fee, All Artists Right Retained About the Exhibit In today's world, as we increasingly rely on the internet to connect with others, we risk losing touch with those in our physical communities who keep us safe. Peel Crime Stoppers bridges this gap by bringing first responders and community members together to build safer communities. We must use both online and offline tools to strengthen our bonds and create a shared responsibility for safety. Safety in Numbers is about exploring the intersection of the physical, digital, and community worlds, and how we can use technology to forge human connections. Remember: Community means Care, Care means Connection, Connection means Protection. There is Safety in Numbers. MetaFundWe In Collaboration with Goat Gallery (https://www.goat.gallery/) is thrilled to announce our upcoming art exhibit and auction for the benefit of Peel Crime Stoppers. We're looking for artists who are interested in selling their Physical Artwork or Digital Art in a hybrid showcase. Traditional artists will be given the option to turn their work into a digital asset. Digital artists will be given the option to display their work as a physical piece. These options are not mandatory, but highly encouraged. If you’re interested in selling your work for a cause please join us! For more information and details of how to apply, follow the link: www.tinyurl.com/3a5xsa3w #CallForArtists #ArtExhibit #ArtAuction #CommunityArt #Safety #ArtistsWanted #impact #charity #nonprofit #Web3 #blockchain #fundraising

Elevate your tax strategy with art donations! Learn how contributing art to public organizations or museums can yield substantial tax benefits while enriching cultural heritage. Explore the intersection of art and finance in our latest article. #TaxEfficiency #ArtPhilanthropy #CulturalPreservation https://hubs.li/Q02q0k4q0

I always look forward to these reports from the American Alliance of Museums. A couple takeaways that really stuck with me: This statistic drew my eye and fills me with some amount of unease heading into 2025: "One in ten museums (11 percent) report donors withdrawing or threatening to withdraw support due to exhibit and/or program content related to topics such as diversity, race, gender, and sexuality. Seven percent of museums report government entities withdrawing or threatening to withdraw support due to such content." I feel this statistic in my bones: "Forty percent of museums are creating more exhibits in-house as compared to five years ago." HAI continues to shift its business strategy as in-house teams complete work in which we would have participated. It's not a bad thing to stay agile in the field and to know what you're up against.

For those still wondering, here's an example where data integration has paid off in a big way. If you'd like to talk about Golden Record or data integration in general just ping me!

Caught red-handed! 🙈 It might feel like peeking behind the curtain or into a diary, but Form 990 is a crucial tool for understanding how nonprofit museums use their funds. Have you checked your museum's 990? 👀 #museumnerd #museumconsultant #nonprofittransparency #museumfinance

When it comes to community engagement, good arts organisations punch way above their weight. I mean the type of engagement services would kill for. Here are some generalisations made from my lived experience of being involved in the community arts sector for many years… 👉Artists are usually really invested in their practice – whether they get paid for it or not, and if part of that practice involves genuine engagement then they are equally invested in that outcome. 👉They work bloody hard – often in cycles which people don’t always see. 👉They are also often interested in the deeper things that matter to us as humans – the ‘soul’ and despite what some funding bodies might think, I know from my years at Milk Crate Theatre that ‘soul’ piece was very, very important to those who were struggling. It’s often overlooked. 👉In complex times, art will ask the hard questions of us, and bring us together to feel our collective spirit. As noted in Jade Lillie and collaborators gloriously titled book "The relationship is the project" - “Community-engaged practice is not an art form. It’s not an add-on. It’s a way of working; a deep collaboration” And yet the funding for it in Australia is staggeringly low. As the recent "Artists as Workers: An economic study of professional artists in Australia" report demonstrated, many artists make their work and live below the poverty line to do so. After being affiliated for a few years, I recently joined the volunteer Executive Committee for Whale Chorus, a local Newcastle-based theatre company. I believe in this company and its vision. Like most arts organisations, it is run on the smell of an oily rag, combined with exceptional skill, passion and commitment. If you want to see what outcomes look like from a tiny, but committed local arts organisation - its role in the local community ecosystem – check out Whale Chorus’ Annual Report. The ratio of size to impact is pretty staggering. If it works for you, please support this important work to continue by going to the website https://whalechorus.com/ and making a tax-deductible donation. Janie Gibson Katerina Skoumbas #localart #placebasedarts #whalechorus